Coming up in Philly Music: Tea time in Mimi Land

Mimi Stillman is presenting a weekly series of livestreams that combine flute solos with informal discussions about subjects like the relationship between music and literature. Tea with Mimi streams on Facebook live every Tuesday at 4pm. You can access all the episodes afterward on her website.

Work is never done

Stillman is one of the most active examples of the many Philadelphia musicians who combine scholarly attainments with musical prowess. She entered Curtis at the age of 12 and could have concluded her formal education when she received her Curtis degree. Instead, she majored in history at the University of Pennsylvania while she pursued a busy schedule as a flute soloist. She completed most of the work on a Ph.D. before she decided to concentrate on her musical career. Her ease with discussing her instrument and its literature makes for a textured and dynamic experience for the audience.

Stillman has posted seven tea times on her website, but the series is only one of her contributions to musical offerings during lockdown. Her Dolce Suono Ensemble has uploaded a small library of videos taken from live chamber music performances. See Dolce Suono Ensemble’s YouTube channel and you can fill hours browsing and listening to their collection. The musical range spans piano quartets by Brahms and Faure, a bit of Jelly Roll Morton, and Bach arias with soprano Sarah Shafer. I’m particularly fond of the Paris playlist, which includes items like a Saint-Saens Tarantella featuring Stillman on flute, Charles Abramovic at the keyboard, and the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Ricardo Morales on clarinet.

What, When, Where:

Mimi Stillman presents Tea with Mimi, a weekly livestream on Facebook that premieres every Tuesday at 4pm. Watch it live on Facebook, and visit the archives online.